


Goodnight, Moon

by lookingfortherainbow



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, No Smut, avocado discourse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 02:49:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20613704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingfortherainbow/pseuds/lookingfortherainbow
Summary: Harry is away from home for a couple weeks to finish up his parts on One Direction's upcoming album, and Louis and their daughter miss him dearly.





	Goodnight, Moon

“Alright, you’ve had your bedtime snack and story. Now, it’s time for bed, darling,” Louis murmured, setting down the  _ Goodnight, Moon _ storybook he’d just finished reading. 

His daughter reached up, making grabby hands at him, curly brown hair laying on her pillow like a crown around her head. It had only been two weeks since Harry had last cut it, and it was already growing. Chuckling, he grasped both her hands, peppering her knuckles with kisses, before leaning down and planting a gentle one on her forehead. He tucked the blanket up around her shoulders, giving her a smile even as his eyes drooped, exhausted from the exciting day at the zoo they’d had. 

“Love you, Dad,” she said, beautiful green eyes glimmering in the orange glow of the small lamp on her bed-side table. 

“I love you, too. Sleep tight.” He turned off the lamp, and made his way to the door. 

Before he made it through the doorway, his daughter called him again in the dark. 

“Dad?”

“Yes, Charlie?”

“You’re sure I can’t talk to Papa?” Her little voice asked. 

Louis sighed, rubbing at his beard, while Charlie’s sad voice pulled on his heartstrings. “Darling, we tried already. Papa’s in the studio, though, right now. I know it makes you sad, but he’s working extra hard, so he can come home sooner,” he tried reassuring her. 

They’d face-timed with Harry earlier in the day when they were at the zoo, Charlie getting a kick out of running around with Louis’ phone and showing Harry all the zoo animals she could as fast as her six year old legs could carry her, Harry’s laugh coming out tinny through the phone speakers.

Louis’ own thirty-six year old legs protested at having to keep supporting his weight after such a long day of walking, and running, and he wondered when he got to feel so old. Keeping your kid entertained and happy while your husband was in Los Angeles finishing up his part of the work on the next big One Direction album wasn’t an easy task, but Louis couldn’t complain. Charlie was his pride and joy. It was just hard when they both missed Harry sorely. 

“Ok,” came her quiet reply.

“We’ll talk to him tomorrow, love. I promise. Time to sleep, now,” Louis reminded her. 

“Okay, night, night.”

“Night, night, my love.”

He had barely made his way out of the doorway, leaving the door half-open when he heard the sheets rustling and bed creaking. Thinking maybe Charlie was getting up to look at her story books like she sometimes did, despite being told many times not to stay up past her bed time, Louis turned around, ready to tuck her back in again. Instead of seeing her at her bookshelf, trying to read in the light of her night light, he saw her sitting in the center of her bed, leaning on her window sill and gazing up at the moon. 

The moonlight shone down on her, making her untamed curls a glowing white halo around her head. 

“Goodnight, Moon,” she hummed, pressing a kiss to the window, before crawling back under her covers. 

Turning away to go bury under his own bed covers, he smiled to himself, amused by how much Charlie loved that storybook. 

\---

“Dad! Wake up!”

“Five more minutes,” Louis groaned into his pillow the next morning. 

“Louis, if you don’t get up now, and say good morning to me, I’m going to teach Charlie how to make avocado toast for breakfast when I get back as revenge.”

Even after all these years, hearing that voice still made Louis’ limbs feel warm, his chest glow. Immediately, he opened his eyes, sitting up, bleary-eyed, gathering Charlie up in a bundle, and plopping her on his lap as they both looked at where Harry was grinning devilishly on the screen of his phone. 

“You would never do that, you know she’s as bad as me in the kitchen. You wouldn’t risk her cutting herself just to get back at me.”

Harry’s toothy grin bloomed over his face. “You’re right, but my threat did get you to greet me.”

“I want to make avocado toast like Papa!” 

Digging his fingers into Charlie’s arm pits, delighting in her squirms and squeals, he shouted, “No, you don’t! Avocados are evil!”

In the midst of her squirming, Charlie dropped the phone. An offended ‘Hey’ came from the speakers, and Louis quickly picked up the phone, the tickling ceasing. Harry snorted at Charlie’s unruly curls, bedhead at its worst in the mornings and made even more terrible after Louis’ tickling. Her eyes were shining brightly, cheeks rosy, looking far too awake to have just woken up. 

“Don’t listen to your Dad, Charlie, avocados are really good for you. You liked them when I put them on toast for brekkie last time, didn’t you?”

Giggling, she nodded, sending her curls bouncing, the stray strands snagging on Louis’ beard. Smoothing his hand through her hair, Louis paid no mind when the curls sprung right back up, reminding Louis so much of how curly Harry’s hair was all those years ago when they were teenagers. Like father, like daughter. 

“I win,” Harry announced to Louis, sticking his tongue out. 

They talked on the phone for an hour, finally ending the conversation once Charlie started complaining that she was starving. She had been up a half-hour before Louis, answering the phone when Harry was calling since Louis wasn’t picking up and she’d been heading into her parents’ room for morning cuddles at that exact moment. 

“Alright, bye, baby, we’re heading to McDonald’s now, far away from your nasty, pretentious avocadoes.”

“Are you calling me pretentious?”

“No, I’m calling your  _ avocados _ pretentious, but, you know what they say, you are what you eat.”

“Explains why you’re such an arse in the mornings,” Harry teased, filthy smirk on his face. 

Louis let out a dramatic gasp. “You’re lucky Charlie’s in her room getting dressed. Such a vulgar tongue,” he scolded, shaking his head. 

“You’re lucky I’m not there right now. God, you look so fucking gorgeous in the morning, Lou. I miss you so much,” Harry groaned, hand clawing through his hair. 

“Down, boy. Focus on finishing those bloody songs, so you can get your arse back to London. I miss you like hell, too.”

\---

That night, Louis received an unexpected work call he had to take that kept him occupied long past the time he usually used to call Harry during. When he was finished, he knew Harry was in the middle of a business lunch, wrapping up everything with the album, Liam, Niall, and Zayn having already finished everything they needed to. 

Charlie got cross with him, crossing her arms and storming away from him when he tried apologizing to her for missing their evening phone call. She ran into her room, and Louis softly spoke to the door until she came around, not forcing his way into her bedroom even though the door had no lock. Eventually, she opened the door, sniffling a little, apologizing for her behavior. 

Louis knew she was just tired and cranky that her Papa had been gone for so long, and after they both got into their pyjamas and brushed their teeth, he crawled into bed with her, cuddling with her. He sang to her, stroking the soft skin of her cheek, the silky quality of her chocolate colored hair. 

In a sleepy voice, her eyes staying open just enough to look out the window, up at the crescent moon, she whispered, “Good night, Moon.”

She fell into slumber right after. 

\---

The next night was a lot easier, since Harry had arrived home in the afternoon, giving Charlie a chance to spend some time with her Papa before bedtime again, Louis and Harry allowing her to stay up a little longer than usual. 

After Harry finished reading the story of Goldilocks, all three of them burrowed under the fluffy covers, Charlie insisting on sleeping with them, they said their goodnights to each other. Contentedly, Louis watched as a half-asleep Charlie patted Harry on the face with her small hand, saying, “Goodnight, Moon.” 

Wide-eyed, Louis turned to Harry, and he looked just as perplexed, though his lips were twitching. 

“Charlie, is Papa who you’ve been wishing a goodnight to whenever you look out the window?”

Charlie nodded, yawning. 

“I thought she was talking to the actual moon, like she was following her storybook or summat,” Louis explained to Harry. 

“She was doing that while I was gone?” 

Louis nodded at Harry. A pleased chuckle escaped his lips. 

“She wishes the sun a good morning whenever you’re the one that’s gone.”

Louis looked down at his baby girl in awe, taking in her soft, relaxed features. Peeking an eye open, she pointed lazily at Louis then Harry while explaining, “You’re the sun, and you’re the moon.”

Louis supposed she had picked up on the nicknames that her parents had given to each other. “What does that make you?” Louis asked. 

Charlie shrugged her shoulders. 

“That makes you a star,” Louis answered, softly, wrapping his daughter up in his arms. 

Harry cuddled her from the other side, making a little Styles-Tomlinson sandwich. 

“I’m a  _ star,” _ Charlie breathed, like she was in awe of this new revelation. 

“Yeah, you are, baby, you are,” Harry agreed, giving her a kiss on the cheek as her breath evened out, and leaning over her to share one on the lips with his husband. 

Looking at his little family with love, Louis felt he had the whole universe right there in his bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos, criticisms are always appreciated.
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr!](https://andtheywerebandmates.tumblr.com)


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